Safety device for convenience-outlet connections

ABSTRACT

A collapsing flexible sleeve for insulating the blades of plugs connected with electrical convenience outlets is disclosed. In one embodiment the sleeve is a tapered rubber bellows which nests to minimum thickness on collapsing; in another embodiment the sleeve is an elastic spiral of insulative material.

United States Patent William F. Eckert 3521 Belfont Drive Ellicott Cfiy, Md. 21043 51,035 7 June 30, 1970 Dec. 28, 1971 inventor Appl. No.Filed Patented SAFETY DEVICE FOR CONVENIENCE-OUTLET CONNECTIONS 6Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

u.s. Cl 317/9 R, 339/42 Int. Cl. H01r 13/44 Field of Search 339/277,

203,42,6l C,6l R, 60,94 13,40; 317/9R [56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2,458,153 1/1949 Festge 339/42 3,210,717 10/1965 Brown339/42 3,513,435 5/1970 Degaetano 339/42 3,209,305 9/1965 Bruckner etal. 339/61 C Primary Examiner-James D. Trammell Allorney.lohn F.McClellan, Sr.

PATENIEB uzcza ISTI FIG. 5'

' INVENTOR WILLIAM E ECKERT yflhemwtfi ATTORNEY SAFETY DEVICE FORCONVENIENCE-OUTLET CONNECTIONS This invention relates generally toelectrical devices and specifically to insulative means for applicationto ordinary household convenience outlet connections.

Modern housewiring reflects the increasing use of plugin appliances.Convenience outlets are no longer scarce and inaccessible, but insteadare supplied at close intervals throughout every room. Frequentconnection and disconnection is the rule. At the same time, adults andchildren are being exposed to greater hazards of burn and shock throughthe use of thin" two-prong plugs, which make it easy to touch bothblades of a plug while it is partially inserted in a wall outlet or inthe end of an extension cord. It is a common experience to find thatreceptacles on extension cords are too shallow to receive the fulllength of blades of a plug, causing continuous exposure of portions ofhot" blades. Paper clips, bobbypins, and the like can cause fires whenthey fall across or are placed by young children across such exposedterminals.

Spillage of conductive fluids such as salt water (including urine) andtypes of cleaning fluids onto exposed plugterminals can cause shock,explosion and fire.

Various means have been proposed in the prior art to eliminate thesehazards, however they have been ineffective, unduly cumbersome,unsightly, expensive, or inconvenient to use.

It is a principal object of my invention to overcome all thesedifficulties and provide a safety device for insulating the blades ofplugs connected with electrical convenience outlets which is safe,convenient, inconspicuous, cheap, easy to install, easy to use, adaptedfor use with various styles and sizes of convenience outlet connectors,and durable.

lembody these advantages typically in collapsing sleeves for fittingover the prongs or blades of electrical plugs, forming insulativecombinations with outlet faces.

These and other advantages and objects of my invention will becomeapparent on examination of the following description and the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a plug-to-receptacle connection, partially insection, showing an embodiment of my invention in use;

FIG. 2 is a side detail of a plug-to-receptacle connection;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a plug-to-receptacle connection, partially insection, showing another embodiment of my invention in use;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a plug-to-receptacle connection, partially insection, showing a further embodiment of my invention in use;

FlG. 5 is a side view of yet another embodiment of my invention; and

FlG. 6 is a detail of yet another embodiment of my invention.

Taking up the drawings in detail, FlG. 1 indicates in section at R anordinary convenience outlet, wall receptacle extension cord receptacle,or the like. Partially plugged into the convenience outlet is anordinary two prong plug P, having a blade B. Covering the exposedportion of the blade is a collapsing sleeve insulator 10, shown insection. The sleeve is in the form of a flexible bellows, which ispreferably of thin neoprene rubber or the like. It is tapered from thesmaller end 12, which grips the root of the blade, to the large end 14,which is shown in contact with the face 16 of the convenience outlet.As. the plug is farther inserted, the corrugations of the taperedbellows collapse, but not in a linear bundle. The tapered shape causesthe corrugations to nest flatly as the sleeve collapses, so that littleor no part of the plug travel is affected, and it can be pushed home asif the bellows were not in place.

FlG. 2 shows the bellows sleeve collapsing as the plug is fartherinserted.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment 300 which differs only in degree oftaper from the FIG. 1 device. The base 312 of sleeve 300 fits tightlyaround the blade B as before, but the open end 314 of the taper is smallenough to fit within the sloped insulative faces P, which are providedin most convenience outlets.

This configuration allows the plug to be inserted completely into thereceptacle, since the sleeve collapse and stores within the taperedrecess in the receptacle.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment 420 of my invention in which thesleeves 400 are integral with the cover 422 of the plug. The cover 422may be detachable as shown, or it may be integrally affixed to the plug.The sleeves may be ccmented to the cover, laminated to it, ormechanically attached as by having a portion passing through the bladeaperture in the cover. The cover may be fitted tightly to the blades andthe sleeves may be made large enough to avoid touching the blades, sothat any wear will be confined to the cover proper.

FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment 500 of my invention, in the form of abellows of uniform average diameter. This may be fitted to a cover, andmay be used with recessed receptacles as in FlG. 3, to provide the fullcollapse advantages desirable in such application. The inner diameter atone end is preferably constricted to grip the blade of the plug.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment 600 of my invention generally similar inouter form to the FlG. l embodiment. However, this is a spiral ofelastic material such as polypropylene, installed and used in the sameway as the FlG. l embodiment. For clear exposition the spiral is shownof thin strand material, but in actual embodiment the strands arethicker. The convolutions almost overlap when extended and becomeconcentric when the device is collapsed into a flat spiral.

It will be noted that the embodiments of FIG. 1-5, the bellowsembodiments, tend to waterproof and explosionproof the connection inaddition to insulating it from solid objects.

All embodiments of my invention are easy to install, are scarcelynoticeable when the plug is disconnected, and are hidden when the plugis connected. Any housewife can purchase the safety devices of myinvention for a small sum and install any of them without danger ordifficulty, since they are self-orienting and self-aligning, and canthus eliminate a considerable potential for household accidents.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

lclaim:

l. A safety device for insulating the blades of plugs connected withelectrical convenience outlets, comprising tapered plural corrugationcollapsing sleeve means for covering a portion of the length of a plugblade and means for securing the collapsing sleeve means to a plug,thereby providing for the corrugations of said tapered pluralcorrugation bellows collapsing sleeve means to nest flat when collapsedby compression.

2. A safety device as recited in claim 1, wherein one end of thecollapsing sleeve means is constricted for affixation to the root of aplug blade.

3. A safety device as recited in claim 1, wherein the plug is of thetype adapted for use with a removable substantially flat cover having anaperture for a plug blade, and wherein the safety device includes a saidcover integral with said collapsing sleeve.

4. A safety device as recited in claim 1, wherein the taper comprises aspiral of insulative material.

5. A safety device as recited in claim 1, wherein the taper comprises acontinuous sleeve.

6. A safety device for insulating the blades of plugs connected withelectrical convenience outlets, comprising tapered collapsing sleevemeans for covering a portion of the length of a plug blade, a plughaving a blade within said tapered collapsing sleeve means with thetaper opening toward the free end of the plug blade, means for securingthe tapered collapsing sleeve means to said plug blade, and anelectrical convenience outlet of the type having an insulated face witha tapered aperture therein for receiving a plug blade the open end ofthe taper of the tapered collapsing sleeve means being adapted to fitwithin a portion of the tapered aperture in said electrical convenienceoutlet.

1. A safety device for insulating the blades of plugs connected withelectrical convenience outlets, comprising tapered plural corrugationcollapsing sleeve means for covering a portion of the length of a plugblade and means for securing the collapsing sleeve means to a plug,thereby providing for the corrugations of said tapered pluralcorrugation bellows collapsing sleeve means to rest flat when collapsedby compression.
 2. A safety device as recited in claim 1, wherein oneend of the collapsing sleeve means is constricted for affixation to theroot of a plug blade.
 3. A safety device as recited in claim 1, whereinthe plug is of the type adapted for use with a removable substantiallyflat cover having aN aperture for a plug blade, and wherein the safetydevice includes a said cover integral with said collapsing sleeve.
 4. Asafety device as recited in claim 1, wherein the taper comprises aspiral of insulative material.
 5. A safety device as recited in claim 1,wherein the taper comprises a continuous sleeve.
 6. A safety device forinsulating the blades of plugs connected with electrical convenienceoutlets, comprising tapered collapsing sleeve means for covering aportion of the length of a plug blade, a plug having a blade within saidtapered collapsing sleeve means with the taper opening toward the freeend of the plug blade, means for securing the tapered collapsing sleevemeans to said plug blade, and an electrical convenience outlet of thetype having an insulated face with a tapered aperture therein forreceiving a plug blade the open end of the taper of the taperedcollapsing sleeve means being adapted to fit within a portion of thetapered aperture in said electrical convenience outlet.